Frightened
by DigiExpert
Summary: It's a fear that eats inside at anyone when another is hurt, and Neviril's not immune to it. It's a harder pill to swallow, but Aaeru tries to console her


**This was supposed to be a drabble in response to today's challenge for Summer of Simoun, but it became longer than 500 words. I thought about doing a double drabble instead, but then realized that if I did that, I might as well make it into a story. So story it became. Today's challenge was injury. I was feeling sadistic, what can I say?**

She looked down at her hand, the blood stain smeared across her palm and then back to the girl in front of her. She didn't know what had happened; Aaeru had wanted to explore and possibly find some edible food. Neviril had stayed behind to tend to setting up camp. Too much time had passed and she hadn't seen anything of Aaeru. She'd headed off into the forest then, and came across Aaeru about ten minutes in, face down on the ground. Panic had overtaken her and she'd rushed to the girl's side, rolling her over. She'd gotten the blood on her palm by touching Aaeru's cheek.

Neviril pulled Aaeru's head into her lap and brushed the girl's bangs off her forehead. She studied the scene around her. She saw large tree roots sticking up sporadically, hidden by the heavy covering of leaves on the ground. Her eyes then moved along the ground, and spotted a tree stump that stuck up at an angle. Aaeru had been next to it. Now that she looked more closely, she noticed the mark of red against the edge. Somehow, Aaeru must have tripped and fallen against the stump. The leaves made it more difficult to see the roots. She pursed her lips.

Time passed and still Neviril gently brushed the hair on Aaeru's head, finding the motion soothing to herself. She didn't know what else to do. Already she remembered that she probably shouldn't have moved Aaeru at all and now it was too late to do anything. She decided that she just wouldn't move any more. Not until Aaeru woke up.

She heard a groan and looked down. Aaeru appeared to be stirring. She watched, hoping that Aaeru would be all right. "Aaeru? Aaeru?" she whispered softly.

"Engh… Ne-Neviril?" called Aaeru weakly.

"It's me, Aaeru. I'm here."

Aaeru tried to focus on her and then gave a soft smile. "Neviril."

"Aaeru, what happened to you? You never came back, and I found you here, like this." Neviril felt knots twisting in her stomach. Aaeru looked all right. She sounded fine, but Neviril knew she wasn't a doctor and didn't know if that was really the case.

"I fell… I was… running and didn't see the branch. I don't remember what happened next."

"Can you sit up? What do you want me to do?" Again, the knots twisted inside.

Aaeru slowly raised a hand and gently touched the side of Neviril's face. "Stay with me… stay with me, Neviril."

Tears welled up in Neviril's eyes. That didn't seem like Aaeru was okay to her. What was she talking about? She touched her hand to Aaeru's, holding it against her face. "Aaeru… let's get you back to camp. I don't want you staying out here."

"Okay."

Neviril supported Aaeru's back, helping her into a sitting position. She then rose to her feet, and pulled Aaeru up and against her. She noticed that Aaeru used her as a crutch, seemingly unsteady on her own two feet. Together, the two of them walked back to the campsite, Neviril holding Aaeru protectively.

It was some time that evening before Aaeru seemed to be doing any better. Neviril made sure to keep a close eye on her. She remembered that Aaeru shouldn't fall asleep and so she had keep the girl awake, though Aaeru had made no mention of being tired. She just appeared to be dazed. Neviril had taken care of her though, doing all the work that they normally shared together as a team. Instead of collecting food, she had pulled from their emergency reserves; she didn't think Aaeru would mind for that night.

Neviril sat alone at the fire, watching the embers die down. She'd let Aaeru lay on the blanket, finally deciding that it would be okay for her to sleep if she wanted. Hours had passed without incident. She still wasn't sure; the ball of knots in her stomach only seemed to grow larger. She looked up suddenly when she heard something beside her. She'd been lost in thought and hadn't paid attention to her surroundings. She began breathing easier when she realized it was Aaeru, who took a seat beside her.

"Why are you over here, Neviril?"

"I was just…thinking."

"Oh." Aaeru looked into the dying flames and was quite for a few moments. "Why weren't you with me?"

"I thought you'd want to rest some and I didn't want to disturb you." Neviril turned her head and smiled at her. "I would have joined you soon."

Aaeru reached over and took one of Neviril's hands into her own. Instinctively, Neviril intertwined their hands together, squeezing softly. "You were worried about me." It was a simple statement.

"Yes, Aaeru, I was. I didn't know what to do or what had happened. It seemed like a simple injury, but I couldn't help but worry about you."

"I was fine, Neviril. I'm okay, aren't I?"

Neviril shook her head. "It's not that, Aaeru. I saw you lying there on the ground and I… I thought maybe you were dead." The last part was spoken softly, almost too softly for Aaeru to hear.

"No, Neviril. I wasn't. I can't die like that."

"But it could happen, Aaeru. And if it did… I would lose you." Tears began to slip down Neviril's cheeks, but she still continued to speak. 'I don't want to lose you, Aaeru. I can't lose you… I love you too much. You're a part of me and—" Neviril hadn't noticed herself start to ramble, but Aaeru spoke up.

"Neviril, stop that. I know you love me. I know you don't want to lose me. Come on. You need to rest." Aaeru tugged at Neviril's hand, and Neviril let herself be pulled up. This time, she was the one to use Aaeru as a crutch.

Aaeru guided them both to the blanket that lay spread out next to the Simoun. She helped Neviril to lay down, and then settled beside her. She still wasn't sure what had really happened, but she knew that it had scared Neviril. She could still hear Neviril crying softly, even though the danger had passed.

"Neviril?"

There was silence for a few seconds before Neviril replied. "Hmm?"

Without another word, Aaeru kissed her softly. She held Neviril's face in her hands, kissing her, using her actions where words had failed to provide comfort. It was the only thing she could think of, but she wasn't sure if it'd work. She kissed Neviril until she felt the girl pull away. She thought that she'd done something wrong; it reminded her of that night on the Messis when she'd kissed Neviril and Neviril had pulled away. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Thank you," replied Neviril. Her arms wrapped around Aaeru, and pulled her closer.

"For what?" Aaeru was confused. Hadn't Neviril pulled away because she didn't want Aaeru to kiss her?

"For reminding me of your love." Neviril kissed the top of Aaeru's head.

"I thought you didn't want me to kiss you," replied Aaeru, dumbfounded. She heard Neviril giggle softly.

"No. I just wanted to tell you that. That's all."

"Oh…I see…" She rested her head lightly against Neviril's chest and sighed. She felt a tinge of pain from her cheek, but it didn't matter to her. She didn't want to be anywhere but next to Neviril, nestled in her embrace. As she closed her eyes, she felt Neviril kiss the top of her head again and smiled to herself. Neviril didn't need to worry about her, but deep down, she was glad that she did.


End file.
